Thakurgaon: The sugarcane plantation program for the 2025-26 season was formally inaugurated at Thakurgaon Sugar Mills today. The plantation activities began with the farmland of growers Shahjahan Ali and Sirajul Islam in Hariharpur, Sadar upazila, under the initiative of the mill authorities.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the plantation event featured an inaugural discussion meeting aimed at encouraging local farmers. Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) Chairman and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Industries, Rashidul Hasan, participated in the meeting virtually. He officially launched the nationwide sugarcane planting season and addressed sugarcane farmers and sugar mill officials across the country, including those in Thakurgaon.
The meeting was presided over by Thakurgaon Sugar Mills Managing Director Md. Shahjahan Kabir, with BSFIC Technical Services (TS) Chief Agronomist Manjurul Haque serving as the chief guest. Other notable attendees included General Manager (Agriculture) Tajurul Islam, General Manager (Finance) Saiful Islam, General Manager (Factory) Nurul Amin, Central Sugarcane Growers Association Adviser and former Upazila Chairman Yunus Ali, President of Thachik Workers' Union Abdul Quddus, General Secretary Abdullah Al Mahmud Khan Ratan, and Bangladesh Sugar Industry Workers Federation Executive Member Ruhul Amin. More than a hundred local sugarcane farmers were present.
During the meeting, mill authorities highlighted that the prospect of fair prices had revived interest among farmers in sugarcane cultivation. This season, the sugarcane plantation target within the mill zone has been set at 6,500 acres, with a crushing target of 90,000 metric tons of cane and an estimated sugar production of 5,670 metric tons. Last year, sugarcane was cultivated on 6,060 acres, marking an increase in acreage this year.
For the 2025-26 crushing season, the mill gate procurement price of sugarcane has been fixed at Tk 600 per quintal, although growers have demanded an increase to Tk 800 per quintal. Chief Guest Manjurul Haque assured farmers that the process of revising sugarcane prices upward is already under consideration.